According to the National Retail Federation, 75% of shoppers will buy flowers for mom, spending about $32 billion.

Mother’s Day is the biggest holiday for florists, and May is the busiest month of the year, said Andrea Hammel, president of Peterman’s Flower Shop, Juniata.

“We really enjoy this holiday because we get our hands on a wide variety of fresh-cut flowers and blooming gardens. It becomes stressful of course because we have weddings, proms, graduations, Memorial Day and other events during the same time period,” Hammel said. “Flowers will always be a special, delicate gift for mom.”

“Mother’s Day is one of our biggest holidays, it rivals Valentine’s Day,” said Amanda Benton, owner of The Tipsy Tulip, Altoona.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Peterman’s Florist & Flower Delivery owner Andrea Hammel puts baskets of flowers on display.

“Our biggest sellers are fresh-cut flowers and plants. We have outdoor patio plants and house plants,” Benton said. “We will be busy the whole week leading up to Mother’s Day and will have a lot of last minute walkins on Saturday. A lot of people are okay with mom getting her gift early.”

Mother’s Day week is the biggest holiday of the year for Roots in the Cove, Roaring Spring.

“You can’t ever tell what a big seller will be from year to year but the normal big sellers are hanging baskets, fresh-cut floral arrangements and gift cards,” owner Travis Russell said.

The Excelsior Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 of Bellwood will be holding its annual plant sale May 9-17.

“We usually sell about 1,800 hanging baskets; we have tons of planters, shade planters, sun planters, perennials, tons of annuals and ferns. We sell about 350 ferns a year. This is our second biggest fundraiser next to the fish fry,” said Joe Whiteford, fire company member.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Hanging flower baskets are available for Mother's Day at Peterman's Florist and Flower Delivery.

Overall, consumer spending for Mother’s Day is expected to reach a record $38 billion this year, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The amount surpasses last year’s total spending of $34.1 billion and exceeds the previous record of $35.7 billion set in 2023.

“Mother’s Day remains a priority for many Americans, and they plan to lean into the holiday despite current economic uncertainty,” NRF Chief Economist and Executive Director of Research Mark Mathews said. “Consumers are gifting from the heart, seeking unique gifts that create lasting memories for the mothers in their lives. It’s an opportunity to recognize what this person has meant to you, and retailers are ready to make Mother’s Day extra special for shoppers.”

Consumers are expected to spend $7.5 billion on jewelry.

“Mother’s Day coincides with the spring bridal season and is a very busy time for the industry. So this is a very busy time for us. We have already seen a lot of customers looking for diamond stud earrings and other diamond jewelry for Mother’s Day this year,” said President Michael Kranich Jr. of Kranich’s Jewelers, Altoona. “Typically, however, the holiday is more of a last minute shopping holiday and we see most people the week before looking for something to celebrate mom.”

“Mother’s Day is one of our biggest holidays, it is pretty big for Mother’s rings and pendants. Typically it is a big holiday, we have lots of gift ideas for everybody at $100 and up. We have been selling a lot of sterling silver. The Kelly Waters line is good. Lab-grown diamonds are also popular,” said owner Mike Dorman of Dorman’s Jewelers, Altoona. “The price of gold is so high it is tough to get into reasonably priced items. With gold we did well at Christmas. The price of metals makes this business challenging.”

The survey said 63% of concerns will treat mom to a special meal, which is the reason Mother’s Day is the only Sunday of the year that Finelli’s Italian Villa, Altoona, will be open for business from noon until 2:30 p.m.

“We enjoy catering to the moms. We offer a sit-down meal with no long lines. This year we will have a surprise for all moms,” owner Frank Finelli said.

Finelli said Mother’s Day Sunday is all booked but reservations are available for the Friday and Saturday before the holiday.

The Altoona Grand Hotel will serve its Mother’s Day buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and reservations are required, said Jayden Hall, sales director.

Menu highlights are going to be flank steak, chicken and salmon, Hall said.

The Bistro at the Village Green in Martinsburg will hold a Mother’s Day brunch with seating times at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Menu highlights include chicken marsala, chef-carved roast beef, lemon butter haddock, wild mushroom risotto, strawberry French toast bake, French onion soup, white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and death by chocolate cake.

Villa Capri Restaurant in Altoona will also host a Mother’s Day buffet.

The menu includes chicken cutlets, stuffed shells, penne vodka chicken, chicken Joseph, meat lasagna, eggplant lasagna, three cheese tortellini, Vinnie’s spicy chicken, meatballs, gnocchi, filet of sole, vegetables, salad and rolls. Reservations are required.

U.S. Hotel Tavern in Hollidaysburg will offer a buffet with seatings at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Reservations are required.

The menu includes scrambled eggs with cheese sauce, bacon, sausage, glazed back oak ham, oven roasted turkey, home made stuffing and gravy, mashed potatoes, buttered corn, baked rolls, garden salad with dressing, assorted fresh fruit and assorted desserts.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.